A man dressed in a fancy French Marshal uniform became visible. He had short brownish-black hair with sideburns. His hazel eyes and serious face were a welcome sight for Victor.
"How are you only a 4-star commander?" Victor muttered in a quiet yet excited voice. The animation had ended and the man was perfectly visible. The screen read, 'Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult,' with 4 stars next to his name. Victor had hit the jackpot.
Marshal Soult was 1 of Napoleon's most capable commanders. From a young age before the Napoleonic era, Soult had garnered a reputation as an organised and decisive commander as well as a brilliant tactician.
Soult had participated in key battles such as Austerlitz, Jena, Eylau and Waterloo. The only thing Victor worried about was his personality and ego. Soult's campaign in Spain held a mixed track record due to reluctance to work with other commanders, shocking avarice and missed chances.
Victor wished that his new commander was the best version of himself and not the Marshal who had serious blunders in the Peninsular War. Time would only tell whether he got the Soult that was dominant before Spain or the Soult who let greed and arrogance ruin his track record. Nervous for tomorrow Victor went to sleep beside his wife.
The next morning Victor awoke to news of the arrival of his recently summoned followers. This was perfect timing as the family meeting was to be held soon. Going to the palace's entrance immediately he was greeted by 100 soldiers of the French Imperial Guard and at the head of the soldiers was Marshal Soult.
Victor approached his new Marshal. Seeing his lord approach, Marshal Soult bowed properly and began to address him, "I Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult swear my unwavering loyalty to you, Duke Victor Luxenberg. Signalling for the almost 40-year-old marshal to rise, Victor began to speak, "It is an honour to have your loyalty, Marshal Soult, much is needed to be done. Follow me, we have a council to attend to. I shall introduce you to your peers and my family." With a quick nod, the 2 men began to arrive at the meeting room.
In the meeting room were the Cassells, Duponts, Veronica, Generals Rapp and Bertrand and Grand Admiral Nelson. Seeing that everyone was gathered and ready Victor addressed the room.
"Before we begin I would like to introduce the new commander of the Luxenberg army. This is Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult, he has plenty of experience and a proven track record that showcase his impressive skills as a proven tactician and commander."
The room greeted him warmly with all of Victor's summoned commanders shaking his hand and introducing themselves. For Victor this was weird. Generals Bertrand and Rapp must have crossed points with Marshal Soult at some point yet acted as if they never knew him. With that being a useless worry at the moment Victor began discussing the real reason they had gathered.
"Firstly I have no intention of marrying Veronica to any of that arrogant bastard's sons, especially when I plan to go to war with them in the near future. Our relationship with them has been strained by this incident and we must be ready for any possibility. Generals, Marquis Dupont how many soldiers do you each have?"
"The Sardia region has 23,000 infantrymen, 3,500 cavalrymen and 70 guns, my Duke." Reported General Rapp.
"My marquisate has 15,000 infantrymen, 2,000 cavalrymen and 50 guns, all at your disposal my son-in-law." Reported Marquis Dupont.
"Our Hannover region has 25,000 infantrymen, 4,500 cavalrymen and 110 guns, my Duke." Reported General Bertrand.
In total, Victor's domain boasted, 63,000 infantrymen, 10,000 cavalrymen and 230 guns. It was a sizeable force that could match up against the Grand Duchy's army of 65,000 infantrymen, 10,000 cavalrymen and 200 guns.
"I would like to merge the forces from each territory and divide them equally into 2 smaller armies. We will refer to each army as a corp and they will move under the commands of Generals Rapp and Bertrand. One day there will be many corps in my grand Luxenberg army, but for now, 2 corps are a start. The only people who command the corps will be me and Marshal Soult, am I understood," Victor stated confidently.
Victor's vision was to emulate the Army Corp Organisational tactics that Napoleon implemented during his reign as emperor. It would be a grand undertaking, Victor wished for Marshal Berthier to be summoned. He was a part of the reason why it was so successful due to his administrative and organizational skills.
"I think you forgot to include us in your military report, dear grandson. It is not just you, who has a problem with the Grand Duchy of Maximillian. They disrespect you on your wedding night and try to get you to marry our precious granddaughter to their vile sons. We have cause to go to war with you," Duke Cassell stated.
Victor could only smile. He did not want to drag his mother's side of the family into a war. They may have been allies but Victor could not bring himself to ask them to commit troops to his war. Trying to dissuade his grandfather, Victor replied, "This is a conflict for the Grand Duchy of Luxenberg. I am an equal to Grand Duke Maximillian. My forces shall prevail as they have done previously."
Hurt by his grandson's words, Duke Cassell began to argue his case for supporting Victor in his future war with the Grand Duchy of Maximillian. "You could crush them with our support. We have 25,000 infantrymen, 5,000 cavalrymen and 120 guns. We could overwhelm their forces and take the territory with ease."
Shaking his head firmly Victor stood his ground, he was adamant that the Cassell Dukedom stayed out of the future conflict. "Grandfather I say this for the continued prosperity of your territory. Let me deal with my own battles. I was insulted at my own wedding so this should be my fight alone. I urge you grandfather leave this to my territory."
Sensing his grandson's stubbornness, Lucious Cassell was ready to dig his heels in a continue arguing with Victor. But to his shock, Victor declared something that would impact not only the Grand Duchy of Luxenberg but the Cassell Dukedom and every other domain on the Bulgar Continent.
"Grandfather I aim to be king of this continent so I must do this alone."